Xfinity’s cable plans are better than CenturyLink DSL, but CenturyLink’s fiber plan is the best option overall.
CenturyLink vs Xfinity Internet: Compare Pros And Cons
CenturyLink’s fiber plan is hands-down the best choice in comparison to Xfinity or CenturyLink’s DSL service. However, if CenturyLink only offers DSL in your area, you ought to go with Xfinity.
The bulk of CenturyLink’s network consists of DSL, an aging technology with slow speeds. However, in some limited areas, CenturyLink also offers fiber-optic service, which is the crème de la crème of internet connection types thanks to its incredibly fast speeds, affordable prices, and fair rates. (CenturyLink fiber is also often available under the brand name Quantum Fiber.)
But you can’t go wrong with Xfinity either. Even though it’s not the hippest internet provider, Xfinity offers fast speeds at decent prices and also has bundle deals to offset the cost of extra fees.
Read on to learn how CenturyLink and Xfinity compare on common customer needs like speed, reliability, and cost.
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CenturyLink vs Xfinity: Plans, pricing, and speed
CenturyLink is a DSL and fiber provider. CenturyLink’s DSL plan, Simply Unlimited Internet, costs $55 per month and comes with unlimited data, no data overage charges, no annual contract, and no early termination fees. Many households can get a download speed between 40Mbps–140Mbps, but what you typically experience for speed depends on your location. A professional tech install is required in some locations.
CenturyLink’s Fiber plans start at $50 per month for up to 500Mbps symmetrical speed, or $75 per month for up to 940Mbps symmetrical speed. Symmetrical speed means that both download and upload speeds are the same, so you can download files and stream seamlessly, as well as upload all your travel photos to the cloud, play multiplayer VR games, or livestream on YouTube. The fiber plan comes with unlimited data, no contracts, and no cancellation fees.
A Wi-Fi equipment lease or purchase fee may apply, as well as a professional installation fee of up to $129 or a standard installation fee of $25. The good news is that the professional installation fee is waived for all fiber packagtes.
Xfinity, on the other hand, is a cable provider that offers high-speed internet plans across the country. Plans start at 150Mbps download speed and can go all the way up to 2,000Mbps. You can’t get symmetrical internet, but slower upload speeds are fine for most people.
Xfinity is offered at a discounted rate for the first 12–24 months, with prices starting at $35 a month for the basic speed tier. After this intro period, plans can increase by $20 a month or more. Depending on the speed and location, you may have to pay for early cancellation, charged at a rate of $10 for each month left on your contract. There is also an optional modem lease for$15, but this can sometimes be waived or discounted for the first 12 months. Northeast Xfinity packages include unlimited data, otherwise, expect a monthly data cap of 1.2TB. This is plenty of data for most households. You can pay an additional $30 to get unlimited data or $10 per 50GB block of data.
CenturyLink vs. Xfinity: Fees for modem and installation
What makes this review legit?
Our fact-based research process centers on interviews with internet customers across the country, helping us understand how internet services hold up against diverse needs and challenges.
To put together this review, we looked at results from our speed test, pulled data from customer satisfaction surveys, and pored over the fine print to compare prices and speeds between the two providers. To flesh out our analysis, we also interviewed CenturyLink and Xfinity customers to get their first-hand insights. We let their experiences guide our research and shape our conclusions. We also speak with ISP spokespeople and industry experts to get insights into connection types, speed capabilities, and other technical issues related to internet service.
The matchup: How we rate CenturyLink vs. Xfinity
For all our internet reviews, we give a rating based on three main criteria—speed and reliability, dollar value, and customer experience—which we then average to make an overall score.
Here, we compare those ratings face to face. We then offer some analysis and context for important factors to keep in mind.
Want to know more? Read our full-length CenturyLink review and Xfinity review.
Speed and reliability
CenturyLink offers a fast fiber service, capable of up to 940Mbps symmetrical speeds. This means that both download speeds and upload speeds are the same, so you can do things like speedily download big games, upload photos and videos to the cloud, and host livestreams.
You’re not going to get the same speeds or reliability from CenturyLink’s DSL. If you don’t have a ton of internet service providers available where you live, CenturyLink’s DSL is still a better and way cheaper choice than a satellite connection. CenturyLink customers who ran Reviews.org’s speed test got an average of 54.83Mbps download speed, which is dismal if you need to use your internet for anything besides browsing or light gaming.
Xfinity’s cable plans are fast. The slowest speed available, 150Mbps, will work well for a single person or couple, whereas the 2,000Mbps is more for a large family or a content creator who uses the internet heavily to upload and download a ton of files. Xfinity also comes in third place in our Fastest Internet Providers report. This is quite the feat, especially considering that cable providers don’t come close to delivering the same speeds as fiber.
Overall, when it comes to speed and reliability, CenturyLink fiber is technically the best choice, even if it has a lower score–dragged down by its DSL plan. Even though Xfinity offers slightly higher speeds, this difference will most likely be evened out by the fact that CenturyLink fiber customers experience less outages and get actual speeds that meet expectations.
Dollar value
Value-wise, Xfinity and CenturyLink are quite similar, but CenturyLink’s fiber plan gets you the best experience for the best price. Both providers have good attributes, like cheap promotional rates for Xfinity and no price hikes for CenturyLink. They both have their snags too–once the promo period is over, Xfinity rates can increase by $20 or more per month, which adds up over time. CenturyLink DSL is alright for the price, but there’s not much you can do to make your experience faster and more reliable besides connecting to an ethernet cable.
Compared to its main DSL competitor, EarthLink, CenturyLink actually offers higher speeds at lower prices. CenturyLink’s fiber prices aren’t bad either–it may appear to cost more on paper compared to Xfinity’s bottom-tier plans, but you’re getting much faster service and you also don’t have to deal with excessive fees or data caps. It’s also great to see that CenturyLink doesn’t impose automatic price hikes on customers after a set period. Customers may still experience a modest price increase at times, but it's nice to know that there are still providers that aren’t going to raise your rates every single year.
Xfinity’s prices are decent too, especially for the first 12–24 months, but you don’t get unlimited data (unless you want to fork over an extra monthly fee) and some customers are also on the hook for a cancellation fee if they signed up for a term contract. Still, bundling with mobile gives you a few deals depending on your plan, such as getting a free line for a year, a free second line, or a discounted monthly internet rate.
Customer experience
CenturyLink’s customer experience varies on–once again–the connection type. DSL customers have slower, less stable connections. Fiber customers are happy with the reliable, affordable service. As expected, the provider ranks higher for its fiber experience than DSL, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index survey. On HighSpeedInternet.com’s Customer Satisfaction Survey, CenturyLink scored just below average compared to other major providers. Regardless of connection type, customer service representatives could use some better training. “They were not very responsive when I did have an issue,” says Cai Crawford, CenturyLink fiber customer in South Jordan, Utah.
Xfinity customers have mixed reviews on their experience. When pressed, some customers admitted that they didn’t have actual negative reviews on the provider, although they were aware of Comcast’s existing reputation as a bad provider. “Nothing sticks out,” says Dylan Woolf, an Xfinity customer in Salt Lake City, Utah, who doesn’t expect too much from customer service agents. “It’s just one of those sort of routine, run-of-the-mill experiences that doesn’t register as notable,” he says.
Overall quality: Which internet provider should you pick?
Overall, the best way to go is to pick fiber internet over cable, and cable internet over DSL. So get CenturyLink fiber if it’s available. If not, then you’re good with Xfinity. Centurylink DSL should be your last resort if you can’t get anything faster.
CenturyLink offers reasonable prices, which is one of its best qualities. The plans are fast and reliable enough for most people, and it’s definitely worth getting CenturyLink’s fiber service if it’s available for you.
Xfinity has a lot to offer–great speed, wide availability and good introductory prices. Customer service could use work, and it could be tricky to keep tabs on how long your service has been running to anticipate when your rates will increase. Bundling with a mobile plan definitely gets you more out of your dollar, but even without the bundle, Xfinity’s track record for fast speeds make it a strong provider.
CenturyLink vs. Xfinity: What deals and promotions can you get?
One of the best deals CenturyLink offers is its Refer & Earn program, which gives $100 each to you and the friend you refer. On top of the referral reward, CenturyLink will also donate $10 to a charity you choose from a list.
Xfinity does have quite a few deals, the main one being their discounted introductory rates for the first 12–24 months. They also offer mobile discounts, which can range from a free line, a free second line, or discounts for your internet when you bundle with mobile.
CenturyLink add-ons and perks
Add TV services to your internet plan
Add a home phone service to your internet plan. Plans start at $95.00/mo.
Xfinity add-ons and perks
Sign up for the 150Mbps plan and Xfinity mobile
Sign up for the 300Mbps–1,000Mbps plan and Xfinity mobile
Sign up for the 1,200Mbps plan and Xfinity mobile
Pay $30/mo. for unlimited data to your plan for customer-owned modems.
Sign up for the X1 add-on.
Download the app after signing up for an Xfinity service and log in with your Xfinity ID.
Join through your Xfinity account after signing up for an Xfinity service.
CenturyLink vs. Xfinity: What do customers think?
Customers like CenturyLink fiber’s affordability and reliability
CenturyLink customers spoke positively about their experience with the provider. “It's hard to beat the price I have, and service is generally really good,” says Cai Crawford, who is happy with CenturyLink fiber’s reliability. This is even after the time a CenturyLink technician cut a line while running fiber to a nearby street, leaving Crawford and his neighbors without Wi-Fi for a night. “They were really slow to get me an estimated timeline for the repair,” he says.
We didn’t get to interview DSL customers, but it's likely that DSL customers aren’t having the best experience, simply from the slow speeds taken from the average result of customers who ran our speed test. The American Customer Satisfaction Index also shows that CenturyLink DSL performs below average for non-fiber internet service providers, below Spectrum, Xfinity, and Optimum, but above Mediacom, Frontier, and Kinetic by Windstream.
Xfinity has good promotions, but long-time customers pay higher prices
Some Xfinity customers enjoy the provider’s speed, reliability, and promo prices, but others feel that as loyal customers, they miss out on discounted prices. “I wish that they would treat their new customers the same as their existing customers," says Bridget Gutierrez, an Xfinity customer in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Gutierrez has tried and failed to negotiate with customer service to get a better price on her plan, and she’s disappointed that her service isn’t as fast as it should be.
Another customer Reviews.org talked to feels trapped with few options for high-speed internet. “The area I live in only has two choices, Xfinity and Centurylink. Otherwise I would go with someone else in a heartbeat,” says Rachel Mabey, who went with Xfinity because CenturyLink DSL was the only other option. Mabey feels disgruntled after her private information was compromised during the October 2023 data breach that affected close to 36 million Xfinity customers.